Reality Check

While I was sitting here (stressing myself out unnecessarily as usual) trying to decide whether to get my teaching credential in Albuquerque or San Jose, a reality check made its way into my inbox.

Two of my cousins have been deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq and while one has made it home safely, we're still waiting for my cousin Taylor to come home. His mom periodically sends emails to family and friends with updates about his life there, which are quite contrary to the majority of the accounts we read in the media.

Admittedly, I have been trying to ignore politics because I am extremely disillusioned that what we're seeing in this election cycle is more of the same on both sides of the aisle. I guess I expected things to be  marginally different than usual. However, now that I'm working in an American public school, I'm beginning to understand why our leaders consistently come from the same sources. Nonetheless, it was good to see my aunt's email because it is so important to remember that we are still at war and all of our soldiers are someone's brother, sister, son, daughter, cousin, parent, etc. One life lost changes the lives of others forever.

I am not sure who to vote for in November because I generally support the views of the New York Times Op-Eds and Jon Stewart, but I will vote because I want to elect leaders (does this word apply to our politicians? I'm not sure it does) who will accept the reality of the state of our 'war' in Afghanistan and bring our troops home sooner rather than later. And, of course, take care of them when they get back.

If nothing else, our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan deserve to know why they're there, what they're fighting for and what the end goal is. Can the average American get past the cable news sound bites we hear every day and astutely answer that question? I'm open to suggestions from people who know what they're talking about.